Pest Management Professional, September 2010

Bed Bugs Crank Up the Heat Even though heat is becoming a preferred method to treat bed bugs PMPs need to address obstacles to such treatments properly to optimize its effect By Jeff White Contributor A s bed bugs continue their resurgence heat is becoming one of the preferred methods to treat infestations Heat exceeding 120 F has proven to be a weakness of bed bugs If used properly heat can eliminate infestations in one treatment Heat treatments also can be positioned as a more environmentally friendly alternative than traditional treatments What some dont realize is heat treatments arent as simple as turning on the heat and returning at the end of the day to see dead bed bugs With excessive time and effort spent on heat treatments callbacks can be devastating The following are obstacles to heat treatments that if addressed properly can optimize their effect Clothes Clothes provide insulation against heat so if clothes are folded and piled as in dressers heat has a difficult time penetrating the piles If these piles arent addressed they can provide a safe place for bed bugs to hide In a standard home with limited clutter treating clothes with heat created by the treatment may not be a problem Unfortunately those familiar with bed bugs know clutter and bed bugs tend to go hand and hand In a cluttered home clothes can be one of the most challenging items with which to deal The typical thought process is to use the heat created in the home to treat the clothes by turning the piles periodically The problem is many times one doesnt realize the volume of clothes people have in their home Finding a place to turn the clothes appropriately can be difficult Additionally piles of clothes spread throughout an apartment is challenging because the walking space you had in the home to work freely becomes cluttered and difficult to in which to work Soon you find yourself tripping over piles of clothes or the hampers theyre contained in and potentially damaging those items Unfortunately theres no easy solution to the problem The best option is to hang the clothes because this increases airflow to the surface of the clothes and provides optimal heating If the home doesnt have enough room to hang all of the clothes a makeshift line can be hung in the apartment to increase hanging space If hanging clothes isnt an option and turning the clothes manually cant be done the client may have to launder the clothes that cant be addressed These clothes should be laundered before or during the heat treatment and then stored in a sealed container until the heat treatment is complete Points of Contact Anywhere furniture touches the floor can create a cold spot that unless the furniture is moved or tilted may never warm up to critical temperatures The same is true for items touching or close to the wall The airflow behind these items is reduced because of the narrow gap between the item and the wall Those areas can be difficult to heat without driving hot air into those areas with a fan When bed bugs begin to succumb to heat they typically drop from the items on which theyre walking If this happens they may fall into the area where the furniture they just dropped from meets the floor This may present a cold spot for the bugs to hide in until the heat treatment is complete All furniture should be moved turned or tilted to provide optimal heating of all surfaces and contact points Concrete Structures Concrete acts as a heat sink and can take significantly longer to heat This increase of time can create unprofitable days and painfully long treatments for technicians Unfortunately there are few simple options to overcome a concrete heat sink Concrete walls can be covered by insulating materials cardboard newspaper wood etc to prevent the concrete from absorbing heat Thin steel and aluminum can 64 PEST MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL SEPTEMBER 2010 www mypmp net